Sujeonggwa

Ingredients

Cinnamon infusion

• 60 gcinnamon bark, cassia, in pieces
• 1.2 litreswater

Ginger infusion

• 100 gfresh ginger, sliced thickly
• 1.2 litreswater

To sweeten

• 200 gdark brown sugar, or honey
• or Korean jocheong, rice syrup

To finish

• 8dried persimmons, gotgam
• 2 tbsppine nuts

To serve

• ice cold, in small bowls, after a meal

Directions

1. Rinse the cinnamon bark and break it into pieces. Use cinnamon bark rather than ground cinnamon, which would make the drink cloudy and gritty. Korean sujeonggwa uses thick cassia bark, which is stronger and more pungent than fine Ceylon cinnamon.
2. Put the cinnamon in one pot with its water and the sliced ginger in another with its own. Peel the ginger and slice it thickly rather than grating it, so it is easy to strain out.
3. Bring both to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer. Simmer both, partly covered, for about an hour. Keep them at a gentle simmer rather than a hard boil, which extracts harsh bitter notes from the bark.
4. Top them up with a little hot water if they reduce too far. Strain them carefully, because sediment makes the finished drink cloudy and it should be clear.
5. Taste as you combine them rather than pouring both in blindly. Start with equal parts and adjust. Add the sugar and bring it briefly back to a boil to dissolve it.
6. Trim the stems off the dried persimmons and, if they are very hard, soak them separately in a little of the punch for an hour. Soak them separately rather than in the main jug, because they release a great deal of sediment and cloud the whole batch. Now serve it very cold in small bowls.
7. Put a soaked persimmon in each bowl and float a few pine nuts on top. Do not add the persimmons to the storage jug, or the drink goes cloudy within a day. Serve it after a meal, particularly after something rich or spicy. It keeps a week or more refrigerated and the flavour continues to develop.

Technique

• Gotgam, dried persimmons, are sold in Korean shops in autumn and winter.
• The separate boiling of cinnamon and ginger is the essential technique.
• It is served at Seollal and Chuseok and after heavy meals.

Substitutions

• Honey or rice syrup in place of brown sugar.
• Dried figs if persimmons are unavailable, which is not the same but works.

Variations

• Made stronger on ginger, which is the winter preference.
• With walnuts rolled inside the persimmons.
• Served warm in very cold weather.

History

A court and holiday drink served after heavy meals, traditionally made when persimmons are dried in late autumn.

Frequently asked questions

What is Sujeonggwa?

Sujeonggwa is a drink from South Korea: chilled cinnamon and ginger punch with dried persimmon and pine nuts. A court and holiday drink served after heavy meals, traditionally made when persimmons are dried in late autumn.

How long does Sujeonggwa take to make?

Sujeonggwa takes 20 min plus overnight chilling of preparation and 1 hr 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 2 litres. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Sujeonggwa?

Yes, within limits. Honey or rice syrup in place of brown sugar. Dried figs if persimmons are unavailable, which is not the same but works.

What is the most important thing to get right in Sujeonggwa?

Rinse the cinnamon bark and break it into pieces. Use cinnamon bark rather than ground cinnamon, which would make the drink cloudy and gritty. Korean sujeonggwa uses thick cassia bark, which is stronger and more pungent than fine Ceylon cinnamon.